Gourmet Greenway goes from strength to strength

IT'S fast becoming the must-do culinary experience in the country. Locals and tourists alike packed out the Nephin Restaurant at the Mulranny Park Hotel recently for the annual Gourmet Greenway Banquet, and the general consensus was that this was the best one yet.

Covid put a stop to the event for some two years, but the banquet has now taken place for more than ten years and membership of the Gourmet Greenway has now swelled to 22 local food and drink producers.

For the uninitiated, the Gourmet Greenway was devised by the Mulranny Park Hotel to showcase the wonderful artisan food in the vicinity of Mulranny, Newport, Westport and Achill.

And the express aim of the banquet itself is to show how an amazing 9-course meal can be created around food and drink sourced from around the area.

The man tasked with putting all this food on a plate for the night is the renowned executive chef at the Mulranny Park Hotel, Sri-Lankan native Chamila Mananwatta, and he and his staff outdone themselves this year.

Dermot Madigan, General Manager at the hotel, informed guests that there were some 420 different ingredients used by Chamila in delivering the banquet menu, and the attention to detail in constructing each course was there for all to see.

Before taking their seats in the Nephin Restaurant, attendees were treated to some delicious canapes in the Waterfront Bar including Quail Scotch eggs, Kelly's black pudding, dressed iceberg Keem Bay barbecue salmon, savoury Croagh Patrick black mussel muffins and Keem Bay organic salmon macki roll, all washed down with Mescan Brewery's 7 Virtues Lager and the Achill Island Distillery Whiskey's 'Mayo Mojito'.

On sitting down in the restaurant, a baked selection from local bakeries Cafe Rua (Castlebar) and Cornrue (Westport), complemented by Wildwood Balsamic Vinegars (Ballina).

Each course was accompanied by wine chosen by Pat Smith, brand ambassador of Maison E Guigal, the most prestigious wine estate in the Rhone Valley.

Ronan Mahon and Dermot Madigan pictured with Katie and Michael McKay, of Irish American Whiskey, who created a special 'Mayo Mojito' for guests arriving at the banquet. Pics: Frank Dolan

Courses

THE following was a sample of the ingredients included in each course:

Mis En Bouche: goat's cheese parfait, beetroot cannelloni, Ceylon spiced tomato chutney, red ribbon sorrel.

Pre-Starter: Lough Mask Gin and lemon cured Clare Island salmon, Mulranny seaweed and Achill Island Sea Salt tarlet's, wakami, ponzu aioli, Oscietra caviar.

Starter: Clew Bay scallop mousse, Mulranny lobster and brown crab bisque, burnt lime comb bust, Croagh Patrick clams.

Middle Course: Poached Croagh Patrick oyster, wasabi mayonnaise, yuzu caviar, compressed kohi robi, buttermilk.

Mystery Course: Deep-fried croquette of ice-cream.

Main Course: Ballantine of free range Irish chicken, fois gras, home smoked duck, pork crepe, Calvey black faced lamb croquette, autumn black truffles, morels, veal jus.

Desserts: Sponge cake, blackberry cloud, felled tree branch, madeira gel, Petit Fours blackberry marshmallows and Irish American Whiskey truffles.

Truly, this was a meal fit for a king, and in addressing the gathering, it was perhaps best summed up by Mr Smith, from Maison E Guigal, who said: “I have just come down from Dublin and something like this does not exist in Dublin. The food we are having here is Michelin style, I don't think I have ever tasted anything like it.”

Making plans

DERMOT Madigan also revealed on the night, that far from resting on their laurels, there are concrete plans to build on the success already achieved by the Gourmet Greenway.

He explained that earlier in 2023, they were approached by Fáilte Ireland and Leader to take a look at the Gourmet Greenway itself and how it is going to grow, change or develop into something that Fáilte Ireland and Mayo County Council could support, and most importantly how it could attract additional visitors to this part of Mayo.

As a result, Suzanne O’Brien of Shore Tourism was appointed to carry out a study and she has spent months examining the Gourmet Greenway and talking to members, and potential members, as to how it can be grown as a visitor experience.

Suzanne, a former marketing employee with the Mulranny Park Hotel, is hugely familiar with how the whole Gourmet Greenway works and she told the banquet she will continue to look at what works, what doesn’t work and what could be improved.

Five-year plan

“THERE is really goodwill from members to work together,” said Suzanne. “This is a five-year plan, there are some new members, there will be new experiences involved, so it is a matter of getting all the ideas together.

“There are ideas of the commercialisation of the trail, so whether it is within your own businesses in having different things that you can sell, promote or cross-promote within each of the members, it means everybody working together, promoting each other.

“People buy from people and if you promote other people’s business it all helps. The plan is there. It is a long plan with lots of information in it. It will be circulated in time and hopefully the members will all take something from it.”

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The names of all 22 members of the Gourmet Greenway can be found at www.greenway.ie/gourmet-greenway. All enquiries regarding the Gourmet Greenway can be directed to Mulranny Park Hotel. Booking is essential for a banquet style menu. To book this exclusive dining experience, call direct on 098 36000 or email info@mulrannyparkhotel.ie.